Of the Truth: Ryuka vs. Kai
What do you do when you have friends on all three sides during a fight? Stay neutral until someone gives you reason to choose sides. That's how I see it, but... Orders It was a strange site to see a lone Shinigami walk through the grounds of the Riku no Hatsu, especially late in the day. To see him move himself calmly, eyes narrowed and searching, and a slight frown on his face, one would think that he was searching for something. A fugitive who had somehow escaped to here... a trouble-causing off-race being forced here after that Shinigami had wounded it? But whatever the case, he wasn't here for peace. His hand rested on his sword, as he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes fell onto a castle, which was several feet below the cliff he stood on. He could feel several presences in the immediate vicinity, along with one that seemed very dangerous, but in the way his mouth shifted to a smirk, it was apparent that he was indifferent towards it. Without hesitation, he unsheathed the blade, using his free hand to point towards a certain area. "Hadō 33...." A second later... BOOM! His hunt had started, with the sound of thunder. Fight Kai looked up from his nap as a boom reverberated throughout his palace. He groaned, I thought I could remain neutral on this subject... guess the Gotei 13 believe that if you're not with them you're against them... Pointing his finger at a small spiral pattern on the floor, a hologram sprang to life, showing a lone shinigami using kido to attack Kai's home. hm... I doubt they told him to attack me, that definitely is the best way to earn points... In a flash Kai was behind Ryuka, tapping his shoulder. "Need something?" The presence behind him was sudden to feel, and it surprised the Shinigami for a second. His eyes looked behind him to see another figure, his senses feeling a strong spiritual energy imminating from him. His sword was gripped calmly in his hand, and he didn't turn around...yet. "It's pointless to state my reasons, for someone who's about to get their ass kicked." Then, his foot pivoted, and his sword was raised in a sportsmanlike backhand, before it swung downwards, straight for the skull. Kai watched as the blade nimbly swung towards his face, but by the time it would have made contact... he was already behind the shinigami yet again. "Don't gloat until you've won, or unless you're sure you can kill me in one swing." "Heh...!" An amused chuckle came from the Shinigami's face, but he didn't attempt to swing again. Instead, he took seven steps forward, before turning unleashing two swings in the air. The second one prompted him to turn around to face the other person standing before him. He sheathed his sword, but his hand remained dangerously close to the hilt, in case to unsheath it once more. "Explosions always lure the quarry out. I take it, you are Kai, then?" Kai yawned, "Mhm, and I'm guessing you're Ryuka Injiki, who was sent here on orders by the Gotei 13?" "Glad to know we know each other. But, as it is, my orders were very vague in description. So, just to clear things up...consider yourself under arrest." With that statement, the Injiki's hand near the hilt rested upon it. "Come quietly, and I won't have to drag you back limbless." He said coolly, a serious tone come to his eyes. Kai sighed, "I've done nothing to the Gotei 13, I am not under their control and technically speaking, you are in my territory but I doubt that matters to you so take your best shot and we'll see who leaves limbless," said Kai, his eyes showing nothing but simple dispassion. So calm... so serene... this man seemed unmoved by words alone. And his own... it seemed to trigger something within Ryuka, a feeling of adrenaline that was only suited for the tide of battle. A smirk came across his face, as he twisted his foot a bit, before vanishing into the air. WHOOSH! This was going to be fun. Kai stayed where he was, waiting for Ryuka to strike. WHOOSH! The tip of Ryuka's blade re-appeared, pointing straight at Kai's face and inches away from stabbing his nose. At the other end, the Shinigami raised an eyebrow. "Well? Aren't you going to defend yourself?" He questioned. Then, his blade abruptly lurched forward. And hit empty air. Kai yawned from behind Ryuka, "I could, but that'd be a waste of energy, if you want me to draw my blade, hit me with something I have to dodge." "Hmph...!" That was Ryuka's cue. Once again, he turned around, swinging once more in order to attempt another hit. And his attempt failed again. Kai simply leaned backward to dodge Ryuka's slice. "Something more effective than a slice if you will." This time, Ryuka was gone. At least for a moment. A click sounded, however, the blade re-appearing inches from Kai's neck. It gleamed with the chance to draw blood, but it stayed as still as a snake on its prey. "If you keep dodging... it's gonna be very easy reading you." Ryuka's voice said flatly. "Quit dicking around, and fight me for real." Kai sighed, "Fight you for real? Why would I do that? I'm sure you could do better than what you've done so far in this battle... if you want me to fight you with my actual abilities..." Kai disappeared, but Ryuka knew exactly where he was, because of the kick from Kai to his spine that made him lurch downward. As Ryuka began to fall, Kai continued, "Use your own power to do so..." His blade stabbed into the ground in order to stop himself, but the ache in his spine kept him from rising immediately. With a grit of his teeth and a yank, he pulled it back out, turning to face Kai once more. "The opposite is true, as well. I'm not really motivated to fight you to my full power just yet..." A step forward, and he dis-appeared. But, his figure in a running position behind Kai. Another second, and several slash marks quirked through his opponent's clothes, preferably on the sides of his arms and legs. Once he stood back up straight, he spoke once more. "And I assume both of us would be insulted if all we did was toy with one another..." Kai yawned again, "You might be, but me, I'm still trying to wake up..." Kai disappeared again, this time however, he aimed at the nerve points of Ryuka's hands, knocking them senseless for a few seconds, causing his blade to fall from his limp fingers. As Ryuka struggled to regain control of his hands, Kai nailed him with two punches and then another kick, sending him straight into a hill, with his blade embedding itself in the ground a few meters away. He was so glad he had Flash Step. With a backflip, he landed on the hillside, and as he fell back to the ground, he landed on his hand, flipping back onto his feet. An annoyed frown came across his face, as he glared at Kai, reaching over to grip his sword again. "Then let this be a wake up call." WHOOSH! The sound of him dis-appearing was heard, but the figure in front of Kai seemed to stand still. It was at that moment, fingers struck the back of his neck, mirroring the nerve attack on Ryuka's fingers. Then, the butt of a hilt struck the back of his head, followed by a knee to the back to force him to the ground. The rough bottom of a sandal was pressed against his neck, pushing against his windpipe and stopping whatever breathing he had for the moment. Kai's eyes bulged for a second, but no more. He was already gone. "If I let tricks like that get the better of me Ryuka,I'd have been dead a long time ago..." said Kai as he yawned once more. "Hurry up and use your shikai or I'll make your life miserable..." disappearing again, Kai nailed some of the nerve points in Ryuka's arms and legs, causing them to go limp yet again, and sending him plummeting downwards. Kai helped him hit the ground faster, by hitting Ryuka with a downward kick. With his face striking the ground once again, the Injiki wasn't so calm anymore to hear Kai's taunting voice. His serene, and excitement for the battle was lost, and a feeling of fury began to overcome him. He gripped his Zanpakuto even harder, as he attempted to stand once more. Kai was toying with him. And he did not like it. Kai tilted his head inquisitively, "What's the matter? Mad at me for toying with you? Use your power if you want to kill me then, show me what you've got." "I'm gonna knock that fucking smirk out of your head...Seal thy heavenly illusion, Tenshi!" All it took was his sword to pulsate once, before his blade transformed into its Shikai state. The blade gained a black-color, extending a bit, and the hilt turned "curly" in appearance. He didn't wait for it to transform anymore, before he disappeared once more. Finally, it begins... Kai closed his eyes and probed Ryuka's spiritual pressure... which... Had a distinct sense of age defying power. Ah... so that's his game... Kai opened his eyes at once and drew his blade. "I can already tell I won't land a hit on you without calling upon my blade, Remember, Shion..." Kai's blade pulsated with energy of the mind, and in a second... barely grazed the skin of Ryuka. "I figured you would have an aura of time about you what with your spiritual pressure, but... it only stops physical wounds... Omoide," as Kai stated the simple word, the graze he had inflicted on Ryuka disappeared, instead, hitting Ryuka's mind with the force of a hammer. At first, it seemed to work. Ryuka staggered back, clutching his head with one hand as if he had been struck. He let out a shout of pain, trying to work his way out... ...only to stop a second later, lowering his hand and a partly annoyed expression on his face. "Not." He said evenly. "Do you think that your mind can escape time itself?" He pointed the blade at Kai, the tip gleaming in the sunlight. "You should've quit toying around with me and struck me down with the first blow, because now you won't be hitting me anymore." Kai yawned, whether out of tiredness or just to spite Ryuka is unknown, "Huh, you think I'm using my mind's power to attack you? Wrong, and time is your power... but it won't be enough." Slicing Ryuka again and again, barely grazing him each time, Kai used Omoide again and again, leaving no wound on Ryuka, but attacking something Ryuka did not know of yet. SLICE! On the last swing, Ryuka's position had changed, sword upwards as if he had just performed a counter-attack of his own. But Kai's chest had been torn horizontally, blood spraying on the ground from the open wound. The resulting pain forced him to stagger back. "You underestimate me, Kai." He said evenly. "If you act like you know so much about me, then you should very well know that I don't sit still like a practice dummy. I told you..." He settled into a defensive stance of his own, eyes narrowed in concentration. "...fight me for real!" Kai cotinued yawning, "Reveal the Road to Dawn, Ashiki," As his blade flashed with light and darkness, Kai muttered, "Chiyugyouten..." Kai's wounds healed up, and he continued slicing Ryuka, 5 slices in all, on the 4th slice, Kai felt the barrier fully give, and on the 5th strike, as it landed, Kai gained full access to all of Ryuka's memories, and senses, and by learning Ryuka's Shikai weakness', he didn't have time to look at anything else really, he formulated a strategy. Kai shut down Ryuka's sight, and hearing, allowing the aura of time to end. Slice! Kai's blade flashed in and nimbly cut through much or Ryuka's torso. As Kai observed his handy work, he said, "Huh to shallow... oh well." "You..." Ryuka's mouth quivered, as he spoke in a furious tone once more. His hands trembled, both infuriated and unnerved by the move that he made. "Bastard..." He managed to spit out, intense pain coming from both his words and his wounds. Kai looked Ryuka in the eye, "Huh, you're the one that asked me to fight you, if you expected me to comply without injuring you, you were mistaken." Ryuka could not hear him. Nor could he hear the sounds of his own harsh breathing, which seemed to grow even more painful on every step. His eyes had went a light gray, and he could not see his opponent anymore. But he could feel his body wear down, and himself to collapse on the ground. His sword clattered to the ground, and he stopped trembling. Thankfully, he did not lose consciousness. Kai decided to save his energy, and released his control over Ryuka's sight and hearing. sheathing his blade Kai asked, "You done yet?" Done? Ryuka could imagine himself taking a good look. "Let's see.... I nearly got cut in half... and I'm bleeding to near death. Yep... I think I'm done here." In reality, all he said was, "Y...yeah...you got me...." in a hoarse voice. With his eyes now having their full sight, he could see the haze glazing over his vision, but he desperately tried to shake it off. Kai looked at Ryuka, "You do realize I didn't even use the full extent of my power right? I know you have Bankai... but you didn't use it because by the time you decided it was necassary, which is right now, you don't have the strength to use it. Make sense? Anyways... Chiyugyouten..." Kai pointed his blade at Ryuka's torso and healed it entirely, Kai murmured, "Shikatsu," quietly to restore his energy through the plants on the field around him. He then let his blade fade away to light. The Injiki then pushed, eyes shadowed over, and a slight frown on his face. He was on one knee, trying to wait until the pain had completely been relieved from his body. However, his posture was a bit more relaxed, hostility seeming to fade. "Good you've calmed down too... now then, if you can be so kind as to go back to the Gotei 13 and tell them this: I'm neutral during this war, I see no point in fighting when I have friends on all sides..." With his hand holding onto his sword, he didn't make a move in order to stand up. He remained silent for a moment, as if considering the man's words. It was very apparent that challenging him again was out of the question, but that alone brought out a bit of frustration in him, which made him grip his Zanpakuto even harder. But his voice was collected and calm. "...What's your name?" Kai didn't answer, his eyes were unfocused, and Ryuka saw why, they were surrounded by strange shinigame-esque beings, except for strange markings on them, and gray skin. Slice! The two that had each tried to sneak attack them were cut down. Lowering his blade to shake the blood off, Ryuka leveled his gaze towards the strange figures that surrounded them. His blade was now held in a more relaxed grip, his former composure coming back to him. "There's no prey for you seats. Get outta here before you get lost." He stated calmly. Kai turned to Ryuka, "Let's kill these guys and get out of here... I think all 3 sides are fighting the wrong enemy..." The Draziv that seemed to be in charge smirked, "You aren't getting away from here except in a body bag, why we could tear you apart in-" that was as far as he got before Kai and Ryuka had both sliced clean through him. In unison, they began tearing through the enemy ranks. However, 100's of draziv were in their path. Still, Kai thought This is too easy... they didn't even send one of the lower leaders... but this will take too much time... "Ryuka, let's get rid of them all in one attack... you have enough energy for that?" The question was very easy to answer for Kai's eyes, as Ryuka dodged an attack from one. Raising his sword above his head, he sliced the man clean down the middle like a watermelon, the body falling side by side. "I'd say so..." He called back, jumping to the other man's side once more. Kai smirked, "Good to here, go all out, we need to get to the Seireiti before more people die for no reason..." raising his blade, Kai pointed at the army of draziv, "Change paths, Arikata..." Kai's blade turned ethereal and he pointed Arikata to a spot where his blade and Ryuka's could meet, forming a ball of compressed spatial energy. Moving his blade to the correct spot, Ryuka's sword met Kai's in an X-shape, adding his own spiritual energy in order to intensify the power. Hair whipped around him and his eyes narrowed, he waited for the perfect moment to strike... Three... Two... One. Fire! The compressed ball of spatial and time energy collided with the army of draziv. A huge explosion occured, and when it dissapated... all that was left was a huge path of grassy field, in beautiful condition. Kai yawned, "Seems that attack first annihilated the draziv from the fabric of time, then restored the land entirely to something brilliantly new... anyways, let's get going, before we loose without having the enemy even have to attack..." Kai sheathed his blade and pointed pointed his hand at nothing inparticular, a portal opened up a few feet away. Kai said, "Now, this will take us to the Seireiti, so let's go." It was a tentative agreement, as the Injiki slowly walked through the portal, eyes meeting with the other fighter's for a moment before he turned away. For now, he would have to trust the man that had cut him down, and saved him from certain death. A slow smile came across his face at the resolution, even as his feet carried him into the Seireitei...